kosher restaurant jezebel to open in nyc

[koshergourmetmart]

from ny magazine:
This June, Jezebel will be joining the ranks of the nouveau Jewish restaurants opening around the city like Kutsher's, Jack's Wife Freda, and La Vara. Menachem Senderowicz and Henry Stimler will open their "Modern American Kosher'' spot at 323 W. Broadway in Soho, with Cafe Boulud alum and former Food & Wine Best New Chef Bradford Thompson as culinary director.

"Think of our menu as modern riffs on American dishes, using only the freshest seasonal ingredients ... and the food just happens to be kosher,'' says Thompson.

"There's been this crazy attention towards updated Jewish fare but what we're looking to do is take a great chef like Bradford Thompson and have him prepare sophisticated American food in a sexy, young environment," adds Senderowicz. The 150-seat bi-level space, designed by Gregory Okshteyn of Studios Go, will have a downstairs cocktail lounge (L'chaim!) and dining room upstairs.

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[marissaj]

My husband is a huge carnivore. I dont eat fish cause i am allergic and do eat meat. I will just point out that places like Mike's, Pardes etc offer a soup and at least a pasta dish for those were someone in the party is vegetarian. I did not for a second imagine they were attempting to cater to me though ;)

[koshergourmetmart]

APPETIZERS

Kale Chips

allepo pepper

-nine-

Duck Rilletes

Jewish Italian Wedding Soup

Chicken meatballs, lemon oil

-sixteen-

Salad of Roasted & Raw Beets

baby arugula, horseradish

-fourteen-

Butter Lettuce Salad

Crunchy vegetables, green goddess

-twelve-

Almost Classic Beef Tartar

Izak spice, Purple potato chips

-twenty three-

Red Snapper Crudo

melon, lime, jalapeno

-twenty-

Braised Lamb Agnolotti

Marjoram, baby carrots, grated almond

-eighteen-

ENTREES

Crispy Skin Branzino

Basquaise style peppers, bouillabaisse

-thirty six-

Grilled Arctic Char

Peas, poached garlic, almond Vichyssoise

-thirty two-

Chicken "Chop" Milanese

Raisins, capers, fennel-onion salad

-thirty two-

Orange Glazed Duck Breast & Duck Confit

Roast fennel, cippolini, walnuts

-forty two-

Filet of Beef
with twice baked potato

6 ounce thirty eight

10 ounce forty eight

SEASONAL VEGETABLES

- nine-

Duck Fat Potatoes- rosemary, salt flakes

Honey Glazed Carrots- lemon thyme

Fricassee of Peas- mint, shaved onion

Israeli couscous Risotto

[DebbyT]

We have reservations for Sunday. I will b'eH report...

[cb3]

Please also report back on who the kashrut certifier is. I called them up and they said it was Rabbi Mehlman and the OU. Not sure what that means. There's nothing about them on the OU Kosher website. Thanks!

[yossieh]

Its Rabbi Mehlman, not the OU (the meat may itself be OU hashgacha, but not the place)

[DebbyT]

So nu, any updates on when they'll be opening? Is there a menu floating around?

[yossieh]

They are officially opening on Thursday

[bigredesq]

Pics of interior here - http://www.wwd.com/eye/food/keeping-k...

[CloggieGirl]

Seconding the call for more menu info.

[koshergourmetmart]

this is the website
http://jezebelsoho.com/
from w magazine

The comparatively pristine dining room offers a American comfort cuisine with a touch of Judaic tradition: roasted bone marrow with parsley, pickled onion and toasted breadcrumbs; Jewish Italian Wedding Soup. Drinks, in keeping with dietary rules, include a full range of kosher wines and seasonal cocktails.

Read More http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thed...

[yossieh]

This link has a pdf of the menu: http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/07...

[marissaj]

If this is the full menu non-fish eating vegetarians will never visit the place. the menu is pretty small and aside from two salads there is nothing remotely veggie-friendly on the menu. Even the potatoes have duck fat on them!

[yossieh]

There will be a larger menu but I doubt they are catering to non fish eating veterinarians - they are looking for people who take pleasure in food not run from it!

[barryg]

But then you run into the age old problem with Kosher restaurants. The Kosher market is already so small that most restaurants have to keep the menu very broad to ensure steady business. There's an old thread about this somewhere... this is the reason we end up with restaurants that have both pizza and Chinese, and why every kosher restaurant these days has sushi.

[DeisCane]

1) It's a fleishig restaurant.
2) It's probably not the full menu

[ATH44]

Here's some more info…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001...

[avitrek]

Biggest news is they are trying non-mevushal wine. Lets hope they succeed.

[DeisCane]

How much non-mev wine is out there these days? Every bottle I buy seems to be.

Can someone explain this to me?
"Supervised by the Orthodox Union certification agency, Mr. Petard is able to have live music only on Saturdays—when complimentary handmade cigars are also available."

[AdinaA]

There are some you get in Israel. And, oddly, the Pennsylvania State Store system has a very fine line of excellent Tabor blends that seem to be their private label - non-mevushal.

[AdinaA]

They meant, that when they are open on Friday evenings, you get no cigars and no live band.

[yossieh]

The vast majority of kosher wine produced today, especially from Israel, is not-Mevushal. However, outside of the two coasts, there is a very limited variety of kosher wine available which is mostly driven by the varied distributors and much of it tends to be mevushal. Additionally, you will only see mevushal wines in restaurants, just another reason that Jezebel will be an exciting addition to the NYC scene, enabling you for the first time in New York to have a quality kosher meal accompanied by top-notch kosher wine.

[DeisCane]

I am in NJ, though and I rarely see non-mevushal wine.

Adina, if that's what they meant....they need a new editor.

[AdinaA]

Good copy editors are rare.

[masteraleph]

Where do you do your wine shopping? I see it all the time (Manhattan/Riverdale), but I also tend to shop at places with extensive kosher wine selections. For that matter, Trader Joes has a few non-mevushal wines (the Terrenal line), so it's not nearly that rare.

[avitrek]

I assume they meant that live music is only allowed on Saturday nights, which is an odd rule for the certifying agency, but you never know these days...

[zsero]

The Shulchan Aruch forbids music at a meal, which is generally taken to mean live music, except at a seudat mitzvah. Perhaps the OU considers melaveh malkah to be a seudat mitzvah, where music is permitted.

[helou]

Is it possible that the OU withholds certification because an otherwise kosher restaurant has live music on weeknights?

[zsero]

I have confirmed with the OU that this is indeed what's happening.
"When wine is sold, there can be no live music except for Saturday night."

So they're interpreting the restriction very narrowly, as narrowly as they can, but they are enforcing it, as is of course appropriate. They can hardly tell people it's permitted to eat somewhere if the Shulchan Aruch says it isn't.

[Moishefrompardes]

yes.
its in the contract.

[mggn]

Talis's very often has live music and not only on Saturday nights

[zsero]

Talia's is not under the OU. Maybe Rabbi Marmorstein has a different standard, or has a narrower interpretation of the law in question.

[Kosher Critic]

Jezebel is not going to have live music - only a DJ.
Moreover, there are several viewpoints on the weeknight live music/wine issue. E.G., Wolf and Lamb (OK); T Fusion (R. Gornish); Royal Palace (Keystone K).

[ATH44]

If I remember correctly there was a different restaurant that served non-mevushal wine, don't remember which one, Box Tree maybe?
Even as someone who appreciates good wines I still see this as being of dubious value…
There's a decent amount of good mevushal stuff and someone who doesn't keep kosher wouldn't even know the difference. The only real benefit is that they can serve some big name Bordeaux for $500 (or whatever) a bottle.

[AdinaA]

It's all about marketing and cachet.

Look at the buzz they've generated just by saying "non-mevushal"

[zsero]

And after all that hoopla, it turns out that they will *not* be serving non-mevushal wine after all!

Elan Kornblum's mailing today says:
Contrary to other reports, the highly-anticipated Soho restaurant will only be serving mevushal wines when they open next month. And here is an exclusive first look at their logo.

[ahuva]

they will not be serving non-mevushal wine - it didn't work out with the kashrut certification.

[PotatoPuff]

do you have the link?

[cappucino]

The restaurants mentioned in the magazine do not have Orthodox kosher supervision, correct me if I'm wrong. If this isn't being marketed to the Orthodox Jewish market, then why would the owners care about the associations of the name? If they are marketing to me, then, yes, I would be confused at the choice as my associations with Jezebel are a tempting and inappropriate woman and Betty Davis from the movie. I wouldn't associate Betty with yummy food, but that's just me.

[avitrek]

Maybe they're just focused on the food, and will let that speak for itself.

[DebbyT]

Many chefs speak about their food being "sexy," so perhaps this is where they are going.

[cappucino]

"What's in a name?' The reality is that the name, the decor, the advertising choices...all that does set a tone. A restaurant should be a dining experience. The best restaurants at which I've eaten hit all the marks and set a tone. The problem in recent years is that no one cares too much about anything. Again, if they are marketing to me, then it's a little problem because it means there's a lack of thought or that someone is trying to make a point. I don't like either of those scenarios. If they are not marketing to me, then they can make whatever point they want to make.

[koshergourmetmart]

actually none of the restaurants mentioned are kosher! the new trend seems to be jewish food and that is what jezebel is capitalizing on

[cappucino]

I figured. That's fine. Gezunta Heit, as my Bahby would say. I do wish, though, that someone would go out and open a good kosher restaurant that was actually really kosher...and sexy. That would be nice.

[zzDan]

Same as the immortal Katz's is kosher style same as other Jewish restaurants back in the day. My day the 1950s and 60s in Queens, New York. And kosher style none of these abomination Reubens an Rachels and such sandwiches. Meat was never eaten with cheese and crap like thousand island dressing. My first mem of eating Katz's stuff is 1960.

But I digress....
So if I wandered into Katz's circa 1972 I knew I would eat a pastrami on rye with french fries. Maybe a knockwurst with lots of 'Kraut you could ladle on by yourself I'm sure that public 'kraut pot is gone by now. There were no Reubens or Rachels on the menu back then. Mustard and pickles and a Zen like enjoyment was your condiment not some stupid cheese

[Maven123]

In these difficult economic times it's difficult for an expensive kosher establishment
to make a go of it. Soho or Tribecca does not draw a lot of observant jews. I believe
they really have to be something very special to make a go of it and not just another
Nanou or Box Tree which were beautiful places that lasted only a very short time.

[zzDan]

Yes it is really tough. Good luck to them at Jezebel

[tamarw]

"There's been this crazy attention towards updated Jewish fare but what we're looking to do is take a great chef like Bradford Thompson and have him prepare sophisticated American food in a sexy, young environment," adds Senderowicz.

... guess this is why they chose the name. But I wouldn't recommend going to the .com version of this as it's one of the raunchier Gawker blog network properties.

I assume the name could potentially offend patrons who accidentally end up there in search of the eatery.

[koshergourmetmart]

here is info about their logo
http://www.trademarkia.com/jezebel-85...

considering Jezebel was not Jewish in the bible and was in reality a villainess, I am unsure why this name was picked.

[tamarw]

Yeah, I can see the backlash on this one.

Hopefully the food is good though :)

[bagelman01]

but she looks so good in a red dress......................................

(Bette Davis reference)

[marissaj]

Looking forward to seeing a menu!

[CWY]

Looking forward to seeing who gives the hechser.... with a name like that, I'm guessing it's not going to be any of the national ones.

[DeisCane]

I really hope that the owners arent denied hashgacha by anyone based on the name.

[ATH44]

According to the link I posted below, the restaurant will be certified by Rabbi Aaron Mehlman.

[barryg]

Not just a villainess but a false prophet and proponent and symbol of idolatry. Very strange choice.

[GilaB]

My guess is that something like this has happened: In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a 'Jezebel' was an evil temptress, the same way yeshivish Jews today might call someone a 'Haman,' when they mean they're a Jew-hater, not that they're a Persian grand vizier during the Babylonian Exile. Over time, 'Jezebel' evolved into something like 'slut.' With the rise of sex-positive feminism in the nineties, there's been an effort to reclaim words like 'slut,' to say that women who like sex are not bad people to be shamed, and thus that 'slut' and similar words aren't negative terms. As such, synonyms for slut, like Jezebel, have come to mean 'sexy' and 'fun' in some circles, and Jezebel has lost its really negative Biblical overtones. (Witness the Gawker website of the same name, which sells itself as a very with-it, fun site for young women.) Probably someone Biblically ignorant said, ooh, a word for 'sexy' and 'fun' that's also Jewish and Bible-y! That must be an awesome name for my restaurant!

But yes, it makes me skeptical. Still hoping for the best!

[barryg]

Yea that makes sense, but you'd think at least one person principally involved in a kosher restaurant concept would have different perspective...

[DeisCane]

Awesome.